Leapfrog Globe

My son loves this globe! I love that he likes it so much and plays with it all the time. He is learning so much about geography at this point, he might just be able to hold his own during a geography based trivia game. 

It has a ton of information in many different categories already preloaded on the globe. They can learn about countries, landmarks, continents, animals, and so much more with this globe.  

You can also go online and download even more content if your children have  somehow learned everything that it has to offer, but more than likely you will just add more to keep them engaged with it and learning about specific things that you want them to know about.

I’m really glad that I got this for my son sooner rather than later because he really has learned so much from it and I don’t foresee him outgrowing it for a few years. He got it for Christmas when he was 3 because he was old enough and mature enough to play with it. A year later, it is still going strong and he knows so much as a 4 year old. 

Leapfrog Microscope

This microscope is great because it can be used as an actual microscope, or you can use the slides that come with it and have a perfect view of each specimen every time. 

The microscope will tell you all about each slide and there are even science based  games you can play.

I really like that the slide where you can put real specimens in is so large, so that way if you find a dead bee for example, you don’t need to chop it up in order to view it. 

LeapStart or LeapReader

This is a great way for children to read on their own and practice reading without their parents reading to them all the time. 

Both the LeapStart and LeapReader have the option to read books about science, math, and other subjects.

If you already bought a LeapStart for your toddler, you can keep using that and buying books for it. If you haven’t bought a LeapStart yet and have an older preschooler, you might want to consider the LeapStart.

Leapfrog says that all of the books are compatible with the LeapStart and LeapReader, but you and your child might appreciate not carrying around the kiddy looking LeapStart when you can just carry the LeapReader instead. 

CAT Mechanic Set

The CAT mechanic set is a more challenging toy for a preschooler because they need to have a long enough attention span to take it apart and put it back together again. 

This is definitely a toy you should get for a preschooler that doesn’t put things in their mouth anymore. It has plenty of screws that they could chew on and choke on if they break a piece off and get it stuck in their throat. If you have a puppy, make sure you keep them away from the screws as well. 

They also need to remember how all the pieces fit back together and at that age, they can get frustrated easily if things aren’t working out. 

This is a toy that you might need to tell them they can only play with in their room so they don’t lose the pieces all over the house. 

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Puzzle Map of the USA

Target sometimes during the summer months will have a really good puzzle map made out of wood that has each state as its own piece, with the exception of a couple smaller states. 

This is honestly the best map on the market, especially considering that it is only $3. You can’t buy it online because it is in their Dollar Spot section at the front of the store. 

There are plenty of other puzzles on the market, but they either don’t have a piece for each state and are more like jigsaw puzzles, or they are made of foam or cardboard and don’t hold up well. 

This puzzle is really not for older children that know each state’s name and where it is located. When you remove the pieces, there is still the same map on the inside of the board, so it is more of a help when children are learning the names and locations. 

However, you could cut a piece of cardstock and make a backer so it would help test the children on where each state is located. 

This is a wooden puzzle map that is similar to the one from Target, but it includes the map of the world and the solar system as well as the map of the USA.

Puzzle Map of the World

Again, Target has a puzzle map of the world that is wooden and is only $3 in their Dollar Spot section. 

When you find the puzzle, go ahead and buy a couple sets because your child will more than likely lose at least one of the pieces. 

I would even go so far to say that you might need to have a puzzle tray or at least a basket or a bag where they can put all the pieces when they are done playing with it. 

The wooden pieces are very sturdy with the map of the USA and world, so you really don’t have to worry about them falling apart, just losing them. 

I would definitely say that if you have multiple children that are all learning about the states and countries at the same time, you should consider buying them each a set of their own. 

They can practice on their own and test their own knowledge without their siblings making up for what they don’t know. 

You also won’t have to deal with them blaming each other for losing pieces and you could even have them race each other and create other games out of it.

In case you missed it before, here is one that is similar to the one from Target, but it also includes wooden maps of the usa, world, and solar system.

Tetris

I never realized how important this game was…until I watched other people try and pack a car for a trip. 

Whether it is the electronic version or a board game version like this, this game is a wonderful way to teach your child about space saving and packing things in tight. The brain stretching that goes on during this game will help them for the rest of their lives. 

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Tessellation Puzzles

This is on the same line as Tetris, but in a non-electronic form. Your child will be able to use the puzzle pieces to form different shapes and creatures. 

Jigsaw Puzzles

Any theme that they are interested in is fine, as long as you increase the number of puzzle pieces and the challenge level of the puzzles as their skill increases. 

They can be floor puzzles or normal sized puzzles. I like the Crocodile Creek brand for jigsaw puzzles because they hold up very well unlike some other cardboard or cardboard like puzzles.

Dry Erase Workbooks

Now….I completely understand if you don’t feel like this is a toy. However, children have a natural love of learning, and this will absolutely feel like a “big kid toy” to them. Children like copying their parents, so if your child sees you writing, they will want to write too.

If you have a child that you can trust to leave the dry erase marker with, that makes things easier. However, even if you don’t trust your child to leave the dry erase marker with them, you can just tell them if they want to play with the book, they need to ask you for the marker first and they need to give it back to you when they are done with it. 

I felt comfortable giving my son the dry erase marker when he was an older 3 year old because he had already drawn on himself once when he was 2 and he learned his lesson. He didn’t like how he looked in the mirror and that scared him out of doing it again. 

I did start out telling him that he had to give the marker back, but he didn’t draw on anything he wasn’t supposed to for several months, so I told him he could just keep it in his room and play with it anytime. 

There are a couple different workbooks that we tried and I would really recommend that you start with the Early Learning Workbook or the Pre-K Workbook just because the font is better than some of the others that we tried.

We also tried the Giant Activity Workbook, Pre-K Workbook, and the Reading and Writing Workbook. The Reading and Writing Workbook is meant for kids that have already mastered the Pre-K Workbook.

They are all good, but some of them have weird fonts and they can be a bit redundant from book to book, but it is good for your child to see the same concepts shown differently.

Spelling Puzzles

Generally the spelling puzzles are only for three and four letter words, rarely will you find one that has five letters or more. However, these puzzles are still a great way for your child to practice spelling. 

It is also great because each word has its own puzzle pieces and only those pieces fit together, so you don’t have to help them every time they want to play with this puzzle. They can check their own work with this system. 

There are two main types of puzzles: those where the pieces of the pictures are also on the same puzzle piece as each letter, and those where the picture is on a separate puzzle piece from the letters. 

Math Puzzles

The math puzzles generally work the same way as the spelling puzzles in regard to each equation having its own puzzle pieces. 

You can choose either counting, addition, or subtraction math puzzles and they are a really great way for your child to practice math without constantly doing workbooks.

This set is really nice because you can do counting, addition, and subtraction with the same set.

Coloring Books

I know this is very basic, but coloring books are a great way to teach and reinforce the names of each color as well as teaching them to only color inside the lines. 

They can just color what is on the page or they can add on to the images. This is a great way for them to broaden their imagination while they are having fun. 

It is easy to just go to Dollar Tree and get all of these coloring books, but that might not be the best deal if you can find deals like these.